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Frequently Asked OWL Questions (FAQs)

Summary:

This resource contains frequently asked questions about the Purdue OWL.

Contributors:Allen BrizeeLast Edited: 2014-03-24 02:58:25

Please contact the OWL Coordinator if you would like to add a question to the FAQs or if you have a question that is not answered on this page.

What happened to the old OWL?

The old OWL has been shut down, and all the links have been redirected to the new OWL homepage here. If you are looking for the writing resources and handouts, please surf the major resource areas at the top of new OWL pages or the navigation bar on the left side of the new OWL pages. You may also type key words into the search box at the top of the left-side navigation bar, or you may use the new Search Page. You may also visit our new Site Map here.

Why did you update the OWL?

We updated the OWL because the original OWL was not as accessible for differently-abled users. In other words, the old OWL was not W3C, section 508 compliant. This means that users accessing the OWL with adaptive technologies could not effectively surf the site. To read more about the W3C, click here. To learn more about section 508 standards, click here.

We also updated the OWL to make managing the site easier (by using a database to store resources) and to increase the usability of the OWL. To learn more about the OWL revision process, click here.

What if I can't find something I need? How do I search the OWL?

To search the OWL, you may type key words into the search box in this page. You may also go to the OWL homepage here and use the search box at the top right of the page. Lastly, you may visit our new Site Map here.

Where are the OWL writing resources?

The OWL writing resources are located in the orange part of the OWL here. To locate specific resources, use the search box or select the links in the major resource areas at the top of OWL pages or the navigation bar on the left. You may also visit our new Site Map here.

How can I inform my students about the services that the writing lab has to offer?

As long as you follow our fair use policy, you may provide links to the Purdue Writing Lab in your course website and/or syllabus. You may also include the QR code (below) in your syllabus or course website. Please note that the Purdue Writing Lab is only open to Purdue University students, faculty, and staff.

How can I inform my students about the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)?

As long as you follow our fair use policy, you may provide links to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) in your course website and/or syllabus. You may also include the QR code (below) in your syllabus or course website. Please note that the Purdue OWL is a free writing resource for educational purposes. It does not offer one-to-one tutorials or classes.

Where is information on the Writing Lab at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA?

How do I print OWL resources?

How do I save OWL resources?

The best way to save OWL resources is to convert them to Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Adobe Professional or an open-source PDF converter to do this. For more information about PDFs, click here.

Select the Full Resource for Printing button at the bottom of OWL resources.

Select Print from your Internet browser, but rather than printing to a machine, select the Save as a PDF option.

Once you have saved the OWL resource as a PDF, you may print or save it. You may also cut and paste text from the OWL into word processing applications, but be sure to follow our Fair Use Policy when you do this.

Do you offer editing/proofing services?

While the OWL Email Tutors can answer short questions on writing, we do not offer editing services, and we cannot answer long questions.

Do you offer automatic citation applications?

No. The citation (MLA, APA, CMS) resources we offer are guidelines; we do not maintain an online application that will automatically generate citations for your work or convert citations from one citation style to another.

Do you offer online tutoring or real-time English or writing instruction?